After ten years of futility (9 last places and a best season of 70-91 and 4th place) Tampa Bay are no longer the Devil Rays. They enter 2008 with a new name, a new logo and new sense of possibility.
Dioner Navarro returns at catcher (though has been placed on the DL with finger lacerations after slipping in the dugout yesterday). Shawn Riggans, his backup, should see some playing time in his absence, though Mike DiFelice has been called up from AAA as well. Navarro is still a fair way from being a force so the injury isn't likely to hurt the team to much in the short run.
Carlos Peña returns at first base and whilst he can't be expected to make another run at 50 HR he should still be a very decent bat in the heart of that lineup.
Akinori Iwamura should settle in as the regular second baseman with B.J. Upton being moved out to centerfield after splitting time there last year (with Iwamura at third the rest of the time). Iwamura's nothing special with the glove, especially at second but he's not the error-machine there that Upton was so it's a decent upgrade defensively that allowas them to kep both bats in the lineup.
Iwamura's battling line will look a little better as a regular second baseman than at third and Upton, still only 23, should build on a great year last.
Iwamura/Upton's double play partner from last year Brendan Harris was sent to Minnesota in the Matt Garza deal so Jason Bartlett (acquired as part of that same trade) will take over at short. There's not a whole lot of difference between Harris and Bartlett with the bat, both pretty much league average for shortstops, but Bartlett is better defensively at short (whereas Harris was a better third and second baseman).
After an interesting off-season that saw him traded from the Braves, in legal trouble at home in the Dominican Republic and battling hamstring issues through spring, Willy Aybar holds down third base...for now.
The season doesn't figure to be any less interesting though it might not end as well for him with uber-prospect Evan Longoria waiting in the wings.
Longoria has been sent down to AAA Durham purely to keep his service time clock on hold in a move that should keep him in a Rays uniform just a little bit longer and save them a few million dollars.
In the meantime Aybar, who hit like a (weak-hitting) shortstop takes his spot at the hot corner in what feels like a pre-season white flag from the Rays. This lineup will improve greatly once Aybar becomes a utility infield bench player as Longoria plays every day.
Carl Crawford at left and Jonny Gomes in right flank Upton in the outfield and both bring big bats. Gomes' glovework is less inspiring whilst Crawford is one of the best left-fielders in the game.
Nathan Haynes - recently claimed off waivers from the Angels - and Eric Hinske have filled in at right in the early going with Gomes serving his one-game suspension.
Veteran Cliff Floyd will be the team's DH and should be an upgrade over Greg Norton and Delmon Young who he effectively replaces.
Young and Elijah Dukes are both gone, to Minnesota and Washington respectively, as the Rays ran out of patience waiting for their talent to exceed their troublemaking. their new clubs will give them a shot but the Rays have enough depth to move on without them.
The rest of the bench consists of Eliot Johnston, who can play pretty much anywhere and figures to see most of his time as a defensive sub, and Joel Guzman.
Aside from Longoria, the Rays have other weapons waiting in Triple-A in the form of outfielder Justin Ruggiano, who has nothing left to prove in Durham and should be up at the first opportunity, and shortstop Reid Brignac who is only just getting his first taste of AAA action but could well be knocking on the door before this year is out.
The pitching staff has been a perennial weakness for the Rays (then again, what hasn't?) with a 5.53 ERA last year but looks to be much improved.
With Garza coming over to join Jamie Shields and Scott Kazmir at the head of the rotation they have three high quality arms.
Kazmir has opened the season on the disabled list giving Jason Hammel a brief opportunity but is expected back by the end of April.
Andrew Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson return in the other two rotation spots needing to improve on dreadful 2007 campaigns.
I think both will improve a little but Sonnanstine is more likely to make large strides forward. If he can come anywhere close to league average he could eat a lot of innings and take the pressure of the bullpen.
In relief the club has venerable Troy Percival as its closer backed by a fairly experienced crew of Al Reyes (last year's closer), Dan Wheeler, Gary Glover, Trever Miller, Scott Dohmann and J.P. Howell.
That is, for the most part, what they trotted out last year in middle relief and the less innings they need to pitch the better this club will be.
The Rays have depth for their rotation waiting in AAA as well with Jeff Niemann and southpaw David Price likely to be called up if Jackson, Hammel or even Sonnanstine struggle too badly.
The offense is good if not as great as some of their divisional rivals and the rotation has the potential to be excellent if everything goes right. Greater depth than just about any other team should help stop them from collapsing with a couple of injuries here and there and the mid-season callups of the likes of Longoria mean this team is finally ready to be competitive.
Rough estimates for offense: 830 runs scored +/-42 and defense: 760 runs allowed +/-38.
Pythag W-L based on those estimates would be:
High: 96-66
Medium: 88-74
Low: 80-82
The depth of the Rays should allow them to avoid replacement level innings from the bullpen and should make them less likely to see the low end of their projection. We'll see.
Next up: The Toronto Blue Jays then an AL East round up
